Congress Faces Revolt In Maharashtra, Haryana
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI : Look like there is no end to the woes of Congress as after Haryana, the grand old party is facing a revolt in Maharahtra weeks ahead of the much crucial Assembly elections in both the states.
In a latest, senior Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam on Thursday hit out at the party saying that he will not take part in the poll campaign as his recommendations to the party have been rejected. The former Mumbai Congress chief also thinks that the party does not want his services anymore.
The factionalism, which was one of the causes of the defeat, did not abate and has now flared up over ticket distribution. Today, in a series of tweets, senior Maharashtra leader Sanjay Nirupam declared that he would stay away from the campaign and threatened to quit. In Haryana, another senior leader, Ashok Tanwar, stepped down from all party posts, complaining to party chief Sonia Gandhi that he was not been given a hearing.
“It seems Congress party doesn’t want my services anymore. I had recommended just one name in Mumbai for the Assembly election. Heard that even that has been rejected. As I had told the leadership earlier, in that case I will not participate in the poll campaign. Its my final decision,” he wrote in a tweet.
.Later when a Twitter user retweeted his post saying that the development is highly unfortunate and Nirupam should not be allowed to leave, the senior Congress leader said hope that day has not come yet.
“I hope that the day has not yet come to say good bye to party. But the way leadership is behaving with me, it doesn’t seem far away,” Nirupam wrote. Nirupam’s decision not to campaign party in assembly polls might come as a big blow to the Congress which trying to find its lost grounds especially at a time when several of its sitting MLAs in Maharashtra have quit the party to join Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the assembly polls.
Nirupam, who contest the 2014 assembly elections successfully, is one of the senior leaders of the party with having considerable amount of influence in North Mumbai. However, he made it clear that the day has not come to say goodbye to Congress. But, this was indeed a hint at what could happen in future if situation remains the same.
Infighting in Maharashtra Congress was highlighted last month after actor Urmila Matondkar – who joined the party ahead of the Lok Sabha election, quit, alleging vested interests and in-house politics.
Sanjay Nirupam, 54, was removed as the chief of the party’s Mumbai unit amid a running factional feud. His arch-rival Milind Deora was chosen to replace him. The Elections Commission of India, earlier this month, announced that both Maharashtra and Harayana will go for assembly elections on October and results for the same will be announced on October 24.
Meanwhile,The letter was preceded by his public show if dissent. On Wednesday, Mr Tanwar and his supporters held a protest outside Mrs Gandhi’s official residence in Delhi, alleging corruption in distribution of tickets for the upcoming assembly polls.
Mr Tanwar has alleged that tickets were being distributed on whims or were being “sold”. As an example he had cited the Sohna Assembly seat, saying its ticket was sold for Rs. 5 crore.
His target is management committee chief Bhupender Hooda, a former Chief Minister of the state. Earlier, Mr Hooda had openly come out against Mr Tanwar, who is known to be close to Rahul Gandhi. Mr Hooda’s supporters have blamed the party’s fractured condition on Mr Tanwar.
To put an end to factionalism ahead of assembly polls, the Congress had replaced Mr Tanwar with Kumari Selja as the chief of its Haryana unit last month. Mr Hooda was named the chairperson of the election management committee.(With Inputs from Mumbai Bureau).
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